Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Operation Manual

							CUBASE SX/SLMIDI realtime parameters and effects 22 – 501
Range
The Range function lets you specify a note (pitch) or velocity range 
and either force all notes to fit within this range, or exclude all notes 
outside this range from playback. As with the Random function, there 
are two separate Range settings. Set them up as follows:
1.Pull down the Range pop-up menu and select one of the following 
four modes:
2.Use the two fields to the right to set the min and max values.
These values will be shown as numbers (0-127) for the velocity modes and as note 
numbers (C-2 to G8) for the pitch modes.
Note again that you can make independent settings for the two Range 
functions.
•To deactivate the Range function, pull down the Range pop-up 
menu(s) and select “OFF”.
Mode Description
Vel. Limit This function affects all velocity values outside the specified range. Ve-
locity values below the Min setting (the lower limit of the range) are set 
to the Min value, and velocity values above the Max setting are set to 
the Max value. Notes with velocity values within the set range are not 
affected. Use this if you want to force all velocity values to fit within a 
certain range.
Vel. Filter Velocity Filter works by excluding all notes with velocity values outside 
the specified range. Notes with velocity values below the Min setting 
or above the Max setting will not be played back. Use this to “isolate” 
notes with certain velocity values.
Note Limit This function allows you to specify a pitch range, and forces all notes 
to fit within this range. Notes outside the specified range are trans-
posed up or down in octave steps until they fit within the range.
Note: If the range is too “narrow”, so that some notes cannot be fit 
within the range by octave-transposing, these notes will get a pitch in 
the middle of the range. For example, if you have a note with a pitch 
of F3, and the range is C4-E4, that note will be transposed to D4.
Note Filter Note Filter works by excluding all notes with pitches outside the 
specified range. Notes lower than the Min setting or higher than the 
Max setting will not be played back. Use this to “isolate” notes with 
certain pitches. 
						

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MIDI effects
Cubase SX/SL comes with a number of MIDI effect plug-ins, capable 
of transforming the MIDI output from a track in various ways.
Just like the MIDI track parameters, MIDI effects are applied in real 
time to the MIDI data played back from the track (or to MIDI you play 
live “thru” the track).
What are MIDI effects?
Although a MIDI effect can be similar to an audio effect, it’s important 
to remember that you’re not processing the sound resulting from MIDI 
playback, but the MIDI data (the “instructions” for how the music 
should be played back). 
A MIDI effect will change properties of the MIDI events (e.g. change 
the pitch of notes) and/or generate new MIDI events (for example, a 
MIDI delay may add new MIDI notes, “echoing” the original notes).
• The included MIDI effect plug-ins are described in the separate “MIDI 
Devices and Features” pdf document.
Insert and send effects
As with audio effects, there are two ways to route the MIDI events on 
a track to an effect:
• If you add an insert effect, the MIDI events will be sent to the effect, 
which will process the data and pass it on to the track’s MIDI output (or 
to another insert effect).
In other words, the MIDI events will be routed “through” the insert effect.
• If you use a send effect, the MIDI events will be sent both to the track’s 
MIDI output and to the effect.
That is, you will get both the unprocessed MIDI events and the output of the MIDI ef-
fect. Note that the effect can send its processed MIDI data to any MIDI output – not 
necessarily to the one used by the track.
There are separate sections in the Inspector for Inserts and Sends: 
						

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Inserts section
This allows you to add up to four MIDI insert effects. The section con-
tains the following items:
• Effects that display their controls in the Inspector can be forced to ap-
pear in a separate control panel window by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and 
clicking the Edit button.
Item Description
Edit button Opens the Channel Settings window for the MIDI track.
Bypass button Click this to temporarily disable all insert effects for the track 
(useful for comparing with the unprocessed MIDI, etc.).
Inserts section tab This lights blue if any insert effect is activated.
Effect selection 
pop-up menu (x 4)Selecting an effect from this pop-up menu automatically activates 
it and brings up its control panel (which can be a separate win-
dow or a number of settings below the insert slot in the Inspector).
To remove an insert effect completely, select “No Effect”.
On button (x 4) Allows you to turn the selected effect on or off.
Edit button (x4) Click this to bring up the control panel for the selected effect. De-
pending on the effect, this may appear in a separate window or 
below the insert slot in the Inspector. Clicking the button again 
hides the control panel.  
						

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Sends section
This allows you to add up to four MIDI send effects. Unlike audio send 
effects, you can select and activate send effects individually for each 
track. The section contains the following items:
Item Description
Edit button Opens the Channel Settings window for the MIDI track.
Bypass button Click this to temporarily disable all send effects for the track 
(useful for comparing with the unprocessed MIDI, etc.).
Sends section tab This lights blue if any send effect is activated.
Effect selection 
pop-up menu (x 4)Selecting an effect from this pop-up menu automatically activates 
it and brings up its control panel (which can be a separate win-
dow or a number of settings below the send slot in the Inspector).
To remove a send effect completely, select “No Effect”.
On button (x 4) Allows you to turn the selected effect on or off.
Edit button (x4) Click this to bring up the control panel for the selected effect. 
Depending on the effect, this may appear in a separate window 
or below the sends slot in the Inspector. Clicking the button 
again hides the control panel.
Output pop-up 
menu (x4)This determines to which MIDI output the effect should send the 
processed MIDI events.  
						

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• Effects that display their controls in the Inspector can be forced to ap-
pear in a separate control panel window by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and 
clicking the Edit button.
About presets
Several of the MIDI plug-ins come with a number of presets for instant 
use. The controls for handling presets consist of a Presets pop-up 
menu along with Store (+) and Remove (-) buttons.
•To load a preset, select it from the Presets pop-up menu.
•To store your current settings as a preset, click the (+) button to the 
right.
A dialog appears, asking you to specify a name for the preset. The stored preset will 
then be available for selection from the pop-up menu for all instances of that MIDI 
plug-in, in all projects.
•To remove a stored preset, select it and click the (-) button to the right.
Channel setting (x4) This determines on which MIDI channel the effect should send 
the processed MIDI events.
Pre button (x4) If this is activated, the MIDI signals will be sent to the send effects 
before the track parameters and insert effects. Item Description 
						

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Applying a MIDI insert effect – an example
Here is a step-by-step example of how to add a MIDI insert effect to a 
MIDI track:
1.Select the MIDI track and open the Inspector.
2.Click the Inserts tab in the Inspector.
•Alternatively you could use the mixer: bring up the extended mixer 
panel and select “Inserts” on the view options pop-up menu for the 
track’s channel strip.
3.Click in one of the insert slots to show the MIDI effect pop-up menu.
4.Select the desired MIDI effect from the pop-up menu.
The effect is automatically activated (the power button for the insert slot lights up) and 
its control panel appears, either in a separate window or in the Inserts section below 
the slot (depending on the effect).
Now all MIDI from the track will be routed through the effect.
5.Use the control panel to make settings for the effect.
All included MIDI effects are described in the “MIDI Effects” chapter in the separate 
“MIDI Devices and Features” pdf.
•You can bypass the insert effect by clicking its power button (above 
the insert slot).
•To bypass all insert effects for the MIDI track, use the bypass button in 
the Inserts section in the Inspector, in the mixer channel strip or in the 
Track list.
•To remove an insert effect, click in its slot and select “No Effect”. 
						

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Managing plug-ins
Selecting Plug-in Information from the Devices menu opens a window 
in which all loaded plug-ins, audio and MIDI, are listed.
•To view the MIDI effect plug-ins, click the MIDI Plug-ins tab.
•The leftmost column allows you to deactivate plug-ins.
This is useful if you have plug-ins installed that you don’t want to use in Cubase SX/
SL. Only plug-ins that are activated (ticked checkbox) will appear on the MIDI effect 
pop-up menus.
•The second column shows how many instances of each plug-in are 
currently used in the project.
•The remaining columns show various information about each plug-in 
and cannot be edited. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL22 – 508 MIDI realtime parameters and effects
Merge MIDI in Loop
As mentioned, the parameters and effects described in this chapter do 
not change the MIDI events themselves, but work rather like “filters”, 
affecting the music on playback. However, sometimes you may want to 
make these settings permanent, i.e. convert them to “real” MIDI events 
on the track. You might for example want to transpose a track and then 
edit the transposed notes in a MIDI editor. For this, you need to use 
the Merge MIDI in Loop function on the MIDI menu. This combines all 
MIDI events on all unmuted tracks, applies track parameters and ef-
fects and generates a new MIDI part, containing all the events as you 
would hear them play back.
1.Make sure only the desired MIDI track(s) are unmuted.
If you only want to include events from a single track in the Merge operation, you may 
want to solo the track.
2.Set up the left and right locator around the area you want to merge.
Only events starting within this cycle area will be included.
3.Select the track on which you want the new part to be created.
This could be a new track or an existing track. If there are data in the cycle area on the 
track, you can choose whether this should be kept or overwritten (see below).
4.Select Merge MIDI in Loop from the MIDI menu. 
						

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5.Fill in the dialog that appears.
The options in the dialog are:
6.Click OK.
A new part is created between the locators on the destination track, containing the 
processed MIDI events.
Applying effects to a single part
Normally, the MIDI track parameters and effects affect a whole MIDI 
track. This may not always be what you want – you may want to apply 
some MIDI effects to a single part for example (without having to cre-
ate a separate track for that part only). The Merge MIDI in Loop func-
tion can help:
1.Set up your track parameters and MIDI effects the way you want them 
for the part.
This will of course affect the whole track, but focus on the part for now.
2.Set the locators to encompass the part.
This is easiest done by selecting the part and selecting Locators to Selection from the 
Transport menu (or using the corresponding key command, by default [P]).
3.Make sure the track holding the part is selected in the Track list.
4.Select Merge MIDI in Loop.
5.In the dialog that appears, activate the desired effect options, make 
sure that Erase Destination is activated and click OK.
Now a new part is created on the same track, containing the processed events. The 
original part is deleted.
6.Turn off or reset all track parameters and effects, so that the track 
plays back as usual.
Option Description
Include Inserts If this is activated, any MIDI insert effects activated for the track(s) 
will be applied.
Include Sends If this is activated, any MIDI send effects activated for the track(s) 
will be applied.
Erase Destination If this is activated, all MIDI data between the left and right locator 
on the destination track will be deleted. 
						

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